Pioneering immersive virtual museum opens university’s collections to all

The Uncertain Space has been built to have a constantly evolving exhibition programme and provides an immersive experience to users who can learn more about a wide range of items and public artworks including a 3D scan of a crocodile skull, a Victorian magic lantern slide and a reconstruction of a dinosaur.

It was established through Arts and Humanities Research Council Capability for Collections Impact Funding and was created by an interdisciplinary team including academics, curators, digital technologists, exhibition designers and evaluators working with a group of young people from across Bristol.

It has also been shortlisted for a prestigious Museums + Heritage Award in the category of Best Digital Use - UK. The winners will be announced on Wednesday 15 May.

In the same way a traditional museum hosts temporary exhibitions, the virtual museum is also designed to host a rolling programme of exhibits. The inaugural exhibition, Secret Gardens: Exploring New Pathways through our Collections, demonstrates some of the new opportunities that virtual curation provides.

Although designed to mimic a conventional museum space in layout, its virtual nature allows unexpected encounters with objects on display. Picking up an object allows users to examine it in detail in ways that are impossible in real life or to enjoy the surprise of being virtually transported out of the museum space to the location of one of the University's public artworks.

The playful approach to curating Secret Gardens was driven by the participation of a group of young Bristolians, who became known as the 'Secret Gardeners', who co-developed the exhibition. The young participants learnt about curating an exhibition centred on the issues that mattered to them - climate change and activism.

They helped the project team think about how virtual reality could animate the University's collections - making important decisions about what went into the exhibition content and contributed their own words, photographs, art, and music as added, immersive, interpretation. In addition, musicians from Creative Youth Network composed and recorded audio pieces to enhance the museum's soundscape for visitors.

Jo Elsworth, Associate Director of Culture and Collections at the University of Bristol said: "TheUncertain Space virtual museum creates opportunities to invite audiences to engage with collections in new ways. The virtual nature of the museum breaks down physical barriers; it allows us to curate exhibitions that are more accessible to audiences who might be intimidated by visiting a university or unable to physically travel to Bristol.

"Our first exhibition has demonstrated how working collaboratively with young people, and providing virtual access to the University's wide-ranging collections, can help us tell the stories that really matter in new and creative ways. When user-testing the exhibition, it was fascinating to see how museum visitors responded to the objects that had been selected; there was a lot of joy in being able to able to encounter them up close and even pick some up!"

Stephen Gray, Head of Research Support, added: "We already have a number of new exhibitions in the pipeline that are only possible because of this new virtual museum. This is our first step on an exciting new journey of responding to technological innovations in order to inspire our audiences to be playful and have curiosity about the insights our collections offer."

Visiting The Uncertain Space

You can use several different devices to visit the University of Bristol's virtual museum wherever you are located. A smartphone, web browser or Virtual Reality headset can all act as 'windows' onto the museum. Web versions are hosted on spatial.io and VR headset versions can be downloaded as VR Quest 2. apk

If you live in Bristol and want to experience The Uncertain Space on a VR headset, you can make an appointment to visit: University of Bristol Theatre Collection, Vandyck Building, 21 Park Row, Bristol, BS1 5LT, Tuesday to Friday, 9.30-5pm. Email: [email protected] or University of Bristol Special Collections, University of Bristol Library, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TJ, Tuesday to Friday Thursday, 9.30-5pm. Email: [email protected]